FORMER Aston Villa favourite Alan McInally believes his “passionate” pundit pal Phil Thompson would be a successful assistant manager with the claret and blues.

Through their appearances on Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday, McInally has developed a friendship with Thompson, who has been lined up as Gerard Houllier’s No.2.

Houllier and Thompson worked together at Anfield and McInally believes the 56-year-old Liverpudlian would be the perfect partner for Houllier in the Villa dugout.

“Phil and Gerard Houllier were a partnership at Liverpool and were pretty successful there,” said the Birmingham Mail columnist.

“I can understand totally why Houllier would want Phil as his assistant.

“The good thing from me being an ex-Villa player is I’ll be able to take his Liverpool glasses off and slip a pair of Villa glasses on!

“I’ve warned him to within an inch of his life never to be horrible to Villa when we’re on telly together!

“He’s a good lad. He’s a football man. He’s been incredibly successful as a player and got to a position where he stayed with the team he was very fond of as an assistant to Houllier and they know each other inside out.”

McInally believes that Thompson can replicate the touchline passion of Martin O’Neill alongside the cooler, calmer figure of Houllier.

“We’re kind of used to Martin being pretty animated on the touchline and wanting to do really well, but Phil’s just as passionate about football,” he added.

“If Houllier decides to take the Villa job and takes Phil with him then, with a bit of luck, even if they’re half as successful as they were at Liverpool that will be pretty good for Villa.

“I’ve never worked under him as an assistant or a coach or anything, but I don’t think Houllier would consider Phil going into a totally different environment if he couldn’t do the job right.”